Oct. 23, 1974

— INITIAL STUDY NORTH HIGHWAY 37 SCHEDULED The Missouri State Highway Department is conducting an engineering study of possible major improvements, including some relocations on Highway 37 from the Newton County line to where the road intersects with U.S. Highway 60. Wilbur Stegner, district engineer with the Missouri Highway Department says the preliminary study will require six months to complete before any improvements and possible relocation recommendations will be made. Improvement of Route 37 for a more convenient connection between Interstate 44 and Highway 60 has been a project of the Cassville Chamber of Commerce and other interests for a number of years. The project could provide an improved access to the Roaring River State Park and Table Rock Lake recreation areas. Stegner told the C of C highway committee here earlier this year of plans to start the project in Missouri’s coming five-year highway plan. The possible relocation work is expected to center around the highway in the Monett area. The highway currently runs through the city on Central Street before joining with Business Route 60 on Broadway, the major commercial street in Monett. Stegner says the volume of traffic through the city and at the intersection with Highway 60 on Broadway is too heavy and needs to be relocated. Highway 37 has been improved from south of Sarcoxie through Newton County and south of Monett in Barry County.

— GENERAL SESSION FOR CASSVILLE EDUCATION BOARD The Cassville R-4 Board of Education met in regular sessionMonday, October 21. The Board heard first quarter reports on finance, attendance and transportation from Superintendent James Ford. The total enrollment for the month was 1,279 students with average daily attendance of 1,175. There were 950 students assigned to the busses with the average daily transported being 865. The board reviewed transportation needs for busses for 1975-76 and elected to draw specifications on three units and call for bids at the regular November meeting. Bids will be invited on one sixty- six passenger bus and two seventy-two passenger busses. Specifications will be sent to product dealers this week. Delivery dates will be set for August 15, 1975. Mrs. Rowena Hutchens was extended a contract to fill a position recently vacated by Mrs. Judy Richey. Mrs. Richey resigned in order to join her husband who took employment in Texas. The board gave final review and approval to the audit report received last month. The audit report will be sent to the State Department of Education for review and approval. A copy of the audit report is on file in the school superintendent’s office and may be reviewed by any school patron upon request. The board elected to participate in the Green Thumb project. Several light construction jobs were suggested as possible with this project. The board was informed that the material to erect the bus garage had not been delivered. Delivery date had been set as October 21; but no material arrived on the site. The elementary addition, which is approximately three months behind schedule, is nearing completion. Construction crews indicate the job would be nearing completion by the end of the month. The board will be taking applications for a building and custodial, supervisor. John Keeling, present supervisor, will be retiring during the second half of the year. The board will be interested in the person having some knowledge of carpentry, electricity and plumbing.

Oct. 23, 1985

— OVER 100 BIKERS/RIDERS RAISED $4,000 Over 100 bikers and horse riders braved threatening skies Sunday to raise more than $4,000 in pledges for the annual Barry County Pride Ride, sponsored by Sigma Epsilon chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. This year’s event benefits the wheelchair loan program of the Barry County Health Unit, the American Cancer Society and the purchase of rescue equipment. Awards will be presented to the riders bringing in the most contributions by 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 1. Riders may turn in contributions Thursday, October 31, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Friday, November 1, from 8:00 a.m. to noon, at the Cassville elementary school outside of the cafeteria. Prize winners will be personally notified and prizes will be awarded on November 2, at 10:00 a.m. at the Community Room at Cassville City Hall.

— WHEATON OFFERS PARENTS AS TEACHERS PROGRAM Beginning in November, toddlers in the Wheaton R-III school district and their parents will be offered an early childhood education program entitled Parents as First Teachers, according to Charles Cudney, Superintendent. The new program is offered on a voluntary basis and is free to all parents who have a child from birth to age three. The goal of the Parents as First Teachers program is to provide information and assistance which will help parents make the most of the preschool years and be more confident in themselves as their child’s first teacher. Linda Marple, a certified parent educator, will direct the early education program. She will offer individual guidance to parents through private home visits. Suggested activities for fostering development and materials on child development will be offered to the parents. Organized group meetings for parents who have children of the same age will be scheduled throughout the year. Developmental screening for one and two year old children will provide information about the child’s educational and sensory development in areas such as language, motor skills, vision, hearing and general health. Parents in the Wheaton school district who are interested in more information or who would like to enroll in the program should contact the school.

30 years ago

Oct. 18, 1995

— HAMMONS OFFERS $500,000 TOWARDS SCHOOL AUDITORIUM A Springfield businessman has offered Cassville R-IV School District a half a million dollars to be used for construction of an auditorium at the new high school. School board members are currently considering the $500,000 offer from John Q. Hammons. The proposed addition will cost approximately $1.5 million to build. Hammons will give the district $50,000 a year for 10 years. The board is studying financing options, which include a bond issue that would use the district’s current debt service levy of 52 cents. Superintendent Dan Bailey said the issue could be financed using existing funds without any tax increase. If the board decides on this option, the issue could be submitted to voters in the spring of next year. The board is expected to continue discussing the proposal at a special meeting on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. A decision to proceed or not to proceed with the project is expected to be made at that meeting. “The board strongly favors putting this to a vote of the people,” Bailey said. “They want input from the patrons before making a final decision.” The 500seat auditorium would be added to the north end of the existing high school where the upper parking lot is now located. The school was designed so that an auditorium could be added. Preliminary plans include drama and speech classrooms, a lobby area and restrooms. “If the board decides to go ahead with the proposal and everything fell into place, construction could begin as early as sometime this summer,” Bailey said. “But that is pending a lot of things.” Bailey and school board members believe an auditorium would enhance the school’s already exceptional speech and debate program. “We have one of the finest speech departments in the state of Missouri, and we don’t have a facility for it,” Bailey said. “We believe an auditorium is important to the education of our kids, and we feel that it has benefits for the community as well.”

— WHEATON CLAIMS THIRD AT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Fighting back from a disappointing 4-2 semi-final loss to eventual champion Laddonia Community R-6 on Friday, the Wheaton Lady Bulldogs blasted Bosworth 14-1 in the third-place game of the Missouri Class 1A State Softball Championships at the Rainbow Softball Center on Saturday. Wheaton used a 16-hit attack to smother Bosworth in the thirdplace game.Inthecooland windy first inning, junior shortstop Amie Tichenor scored Wheaton’s first run. After singling, Tichenor advanced to second base, then third base on wild pitches. Junior second baseman Korrie Butler’s grounder to first base scored Tichenor. Wheaton sophomore pitcher Tracy Keel threw two strikeouts to help shutdown Bosworth 1-2-3 in the first inning. Wheaton loaded the bases in the second inning on three straight singles by junior first baseman Christy Brown, sophomore outfielder Kana Brattin and junior outfielder Misty Keel, before Bosworth pitcher Karolean Dilley recorded two strikeouts to help strand them. In the bottom of the inning, Bosworth tied the score at 1-1 on a walk and two errors. Four runs were tallied by the Wheaton Lady Bulldogs in the fourth inning on a walk to Brown, a single by Missy Keel, a single by senior catcher Susan Hall and triple by freshman third baseman Laura Wilson. Despite two walks given to Bosworth in the bottom of the inning, the Wheaton defense maintained the score at 5-1. Wheaton widened the Lady Bulldogs’ margin over Bosworth in the fifth inning. Tracy Keel started the offensive attack off with a double, before junior outfielder Tracy Schad blasted a towering home run over the outfield fence and against the wind. Brown then doubled the scored on two Bosworth errors that put Keel and Wilson on the bases. Keel and Wilson scored on a Tichenor single to give Wheaton a 10-1 lead. Wheaton finished Bosworth off in the sixth inning. The Lady Bulldogs scored four runs on a Tracy Keel triple, a Schad single, a Missy Keel single, a Hall Double and a walk, but failed to score. The game was called at 14-1 in favor of Wheaton, due to the 10-run rule. Tracy Keel allowed three hits, four walks and had five strikeouts on the mound for Wheaton. Bosworth ended its season with an 11-5 record. In the wind-blown and dust-saturated semi-final game on Friday, Wheaton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Laddonia pitcher Sarah Curtis. Butler reached first base on a Laddonia error and later scored on a Tracy Keel double. Keel then scored on a Schad double. Laddonia evened the score at 2-2 in the third inning on two bunt singles and an error. Tracy Keel reached first base on a Bosworth error in the bottom of the inning, but ended up stranded at third base. Laddonia gained the lead in the fourth inning. The Trojans scored two runs on a walk and two doubles. Wheaton went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to trail 4-2. Tichenor led off Wheaton’s half of the fifth inning with a single, but was doubled off to first base when Butler lined a pitch back to the mound. Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Missy Keel reached first base on a passed ball on the third strike. Sophomore Erisa Hines was put in as a pinch runner. With one out, Wilson received a walk. Tichenor then singled but Hines was thrown out at the plate. Butler flied out for the third out and Laddonia’s semi-final victory. Bosworth’s Curtis allowed only four hits on the mound, while Tracy Keel allowed seven hits and three walks in five and one-third innings. Keel had one strikeout. Sophomore JoGina Carter allowed one single in one and two-third innings of relief for Wheaton. Wheaton ended its season with a 14-4 record. The Lady Bulldogs have advanced to the state softball championships for three consecutive years. With only losing one player (Hall) to graduation this year, Wheaton coach Keith McGee said the Lady Bulldogs have a chance of returning to the state playoffs next year, but noted other top teams, like Weableau, will be returning many players.